Ritz-Carlton appoints new general manager

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. on Thursday named Damien O'Riordan to be the general manager of the luxury chain's local resort, the centerpiece of which is a 266-room lodging property.

O'Riordan, who had been the general manager at the chain's Powerscourt, Ireland, property, replaces Brad Jencks, who left this past summer after just 18 months on the job.

Erwin Schinnerl, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead resort, near Atlanta, had been interim manager in Sarasota during the search for Jencks' replacement.

“His wide range of experiences make him the perfect fit for this unique property,” Kate Monahan, a Ritz-Carlton vice president, said of O'Riordan.

A native of Cork, Ireland, and a graduate of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology in that country, O'Riordan spent eight years working for the Ritz-Carlton chain in Virginia, California, Washington, D.C., and Jamaica before joining the Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort in Ireland as assistant general manager.

Four years later, in August 2008, O'Riordan was named general manager of the G Hotel in Galway. In 2010, the five-star spa hotel was ranked as the No. 1 hotel in Ireland by Travel + Leisure Magazine.

“I look forward to working with our ladies and gentlemen to provide exceptional experiences for our guests and to create unique, personal memories which they can enjoy long after leaving our hotel,” O'Riordan said, in a statement.

He intends to begin work in Sarasota later this month.

In addition to the upscale hotel, O'Riordan will oversee a membership-only, 18-hole golf course in Lakewood Ranch, an exclusive beach club on Lido Key, a spa and a trio of residential towers containing more than 200 condominiums.

Though the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota has garnered numerous industry awards and won acclaim as one of the chain's top performers — it was named among the top golf resorts in the world by Conde Nast Traveler, and its spa was named one of the best in the U.S. and Canada by Travel + Leisure — its image has tarnished of late amid significant changes.

Jencks, 63, who replaced longtime manager Jim McManemon, sought to shift the resort's appeal more to local residents with specials and physical changes.

Most notably, Jencks presided over a remake of the hotel's vaunted and formal El Vernona restaurant to the nautical-themed and more casual Jack Dusty.

He also spearheaded a change in Members Club fees, slashing them in some cases from $100,000 to $15,000.

The restaurant has met with some criticism from guests and members for its menu and relatively high prices, and some residents have balked at the lowered membership fees.